The Demon
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: Sequel to Heroes. The team becomes more accustomed to their powers as Stetler’s militia comes to take Miami. Meanwhile, Horatio begins to fight personal demons to prevent becoming one...
1. Interlude: Dark Overture

**Na-na-na-na boo-boo. Sequel is up! **

_Good. Six months on the last one. That's a bit worrisome, Shining. _

**_Yes, gang. We don't own CSI: _** **_Miami_****_ or the elements. We do own the plot, though. No thieving without permission, please!_**

****

**_

* * *

_**

****

Interlude: Dark Overture

It was nighttime in the city of Miami, Florida as millions of men and women went inside their houses and slept as peacefully as they could. Darkness had the city in its grip for the past three weeks, and in this war, there was no rest for the weary. No matter how hard people tried to fight off the feeling that demons would show up at any time, they knew it was inevitable. Life was no longer truly that of a simple citizen. Now they had heroes to look for, and already, one of them was dead.

It was originally a nightmare for Horatio Caine of the Miami Crime Scene Investigator. He never would have dreamed, in all of his years as a detective, that he would be on a simple murder case that would turn out to be a battle to save all humanity. He looked down at his hands, streaked with blue stripes all the way up his arms. Horatio had been given the power over the element of water, and he believed it to be a near-miss curse. The man was now constantly blaming himself for the death of one of his own- the wielder of light, Calleigh Duquesne.

He looked out into the distance and closed his eyes. An onlooker might've thought that he was merely trying to fall asleep on the cliff where he sat. In actuality, he was beginning to concentrate on creating a thunderstorm. It wasn't a normal thunderstorm, however- it had anger, despair, and sadness. Horatio's storm was a storm of emotions that would soon rain all over the city of war ground, even if not one battle had really been fought inside its walls. He sighed and rubbed his head.

"What are you doing up here all by yourself?"

The man turned around and smiled wearily. Chief Medical Examiner Alexx Woods sat down next to him as he moved aside for her. Alexx was like a big teddy bear- you just wanted to hug and squeeze her all the time. However, she could be a grizzly bear as well- snapping at you for something you might've done wrong. "You're still blaming yourself, hm?"

He didn't say anything, but she could tell he was bursting to say "yes." The man instead preoccupied himself with looking at her hands. "They're nearly completely covered with streaks," he observed, watching her purpled hands.

She sighed. "If you, Ryan, Eric, and Calleigh all had the elements…" Horatio winced but nodded for her to go on. "…why do Natalia and I not have one yet?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I say patience, Alexx. You'll learn soon enough, I hope. Something tells me that you've got a special element coming, just for you."

The woman looked out over the ocean of raging waters and thunderclouds. "You've been venting to yourself again, haven't you?"

Horatio nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I can't help but recall those last words that Stetler told me. _The darkest waters over _ _Miami__ shall wash over all like the nightmare of a thousand demons._ What if it's true, Alexx? What if I do turn out to be one of them?"

Alexx's face was kind, but firm. "I don't know why you're listening to some piece of bullshit from an Internal Affairs agent with nine silver fox tails. That should be the first warning sign to you."

There was a sudden rumble from under them, and thousands of demons rose from the area for as far as the eye could see. Horatio stood up and stared out over the oceans and sand dunes, a look of terror on his face. Alexx blinked. "This is _not_ happening."

"The prophecy is coming soon too quickly," Horatio whispered, summoning his large sword, which was now taking in the shape of a strange blue sword with a heart shape on the end, frills covering every part of it. "This can't be…" He suddenly reeled over in pain, clutching his stomach and moaning.

Alexx put her hand on his back. "Horatio?"

It suddenly appeared. A large silver fox tail came shooting out of him, bushy and smooth. He looked up at her, his eyes becoming strangely silver. "Get out of here," he whispered. "There's nothing you can do now."

Alexx nodded and ran away from him as he clutched his sword. He jumped down into the fray of demons and was lost in combat a few moments later.

* * *

**Boo! Hiss! **

_It's a prologue, Shining. I just hope it's a decent one. _

**_Reviews are wonderful! We lavish praise upon all who even read! Much love gang!_**


	2. Threatening Life

_Holy crap. We got a lot of reviews for our first chapter of this. I didn't think it would be as popular as the last one. Many gracious thanks to clairec12344, Ad Hominem Argument, Completely Random Dissorder, daxy, speedfanatic05, Rebellwithoutacause, Queen Sunstar, kitsune, Scorpii, Shadowstorm92, and dana flame princess for reviewing. Really made our day! _

_Oh, and Shining's kind of been knocked out from the force of another story we were writing. She'll be back soon._

_

* * *

_

2. Threatening Life

"To hell with that!" Ryan Wolfe roared, hearing Eric Delektorsky's idea for a plan of action against the newly reformed demons outside of the lab. "I can't even get out of my house now because of these powers I got! It's all because Calleigh had to go off and die, playing heroine!" He hit the table, a rush of wind coming from the slap he landed.

Eric sighed and rubbed his head. Ryan was becoming more and more impulsive by the minute, and something told him that it wasn't a good idea to go out into the thick of battle. "Listen, Wolfe," he told him, trying to keep his voice steady. "We're just as worried as you are about this whole mess. It's just… I don't think it's a good idea for us to move on the militia when we're completely outnumbered and H is nowhere to be found."

Ryan snorted. "So you're saying let's all cower behind our boss."

"Boys!"

Alexx Woods and Natalia Boa Vista looked pleadingly at the two men arguing over the newest ideas for going after the darkness. It had only been a few weeks, but the team was falling apart, losing heart to the battle still coming. Natalia's eyes shone with tears as she stared at Ryan. "What has gotten into you?" she asked, holding a piece of cloth on her arm, which was bleeding brown. "Is it really that bad to argue with your allies at a time like this?"

"We're living new lives now," Alexx added, shooting daggers at Eric, who winced. "It's our job to try and protect the world from the evils that befall upon us. I know it's been taking some getting used to, but we have to hold onto faith. It's the only way we'll get out of this mess." She looked out the window. "Besides, Horatio's completely losing it."

Ryan grimaced. "How's that?"

"I saw a silver fox tail shooting out of him when demons arrived this morning on the beach, and the next thing I knew, he was looking at me as if I was his next meal."

Natalia looked aghast. Eric tensed up. "You think he's becoming… one of _them?" _

"No," she replied firmly. "Horatio's too strong for that."

Ryan growled angrily. "It's all Stetler's fault. That ass should go burn in the deepest pit reserved for bastards."

"Enough swearing, Wolfe!" Eric ordered. He looked around. "Now what?"

"Simple."

The three looked at Natalia, who was still holding her arm.

"We fight them."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio screamed. One of the fox-demons seemed to smile and lick his lips, preparing to pounce on his prey. He never had the chance. Water daggers stabbed right through him. The other creatures howled in dismay at another comrade gone and leapt for the lieutenant, who swept one hand over his body. A large tsunami-like wave swept them away, leaving about thirty demons left.

He doubled over, clutching his sword. The sensation of the tail coming in was bringing utmost pain for the lieutenant as he gritted his teeth and attempted not to scream. What was going on with him? Why was he feeling like this? He didn't ask for this prophecy to come true. He didn't want this sort of thing to ever happen.

_'Let go… Horatio.' _

That voice… it sounded familiar. He racked his brain for any remembrance of the sound. As he thought more, the pain became harder to resist. He clutched his head, letting go of the weapon, allowing it to disappear. The demons still moved closer. It hurt so much. 'Make it stop,' he thought in desperation. 'Please… just make it stop. Make the pain disappear… please…'

_'Never, my friend. It will never go away.' _

He screamed harder, louder. The demons growled, licking their lips again. He thought once more, 'Make it stop… let the pain disappear… just make it stop…'

_'A little longer. You're tougher than this, Horatio.' _

Finally, he screamed, "MAKE THE PAIN STOP, DAMNIT!" He swung his arm out and lashed at one of the foxes, who growled in return. He stood up, his eyes blood-red, and grinned. His nails began to get longer, fox ears appearing. The tail no longer sent pain through him. It was adrenaline. A sort of pain that couldn't ever be painful enough to endure. He beckoned towards the creatures. _"Yrt em,"_ he hissed in a raspy tone. _"I erad uoy."_

The demons obeyed and leapt for Horatio, who slashed out and struck down practically ten of them at once. He grinned and doubled over again, eyes no longer red. They had returned to their normal intense blue, and his moaning began once again. 'What's happening to me?' he though, anguished. 'What am I doing?'

He feared his power was turning into something more. Something that could become a new threatening life for all his friends and family.

Horatio screamed again. And that little voice laughed again. _'I am the last demon there is, Horatio. And I'm going to make you become the very thing you desire… death itself. For I am Rizora. I am your personal demon. I am Stetler's friend and ally. _

_'I am your only hope for your friends.'_

_

* * *

_

_Whoa. Creepy. Well, I hope this was a good chapter. I'm coming out with a CSI: New York version of this soon. In the middle of the story, around Chapter 8, "Martyrs" will be released. Hope you all will go and read that!_

_Reviews are loved, gang! _


	3. Nightmare in Miami

**Um, I hate going on writer's block with this thing. So I'll get to the point. Dearest love and thanks to **Completely Random Dissorder, Ad Hominem Argument, speedfanatic05, Rebellwithoutacause, kitsune, StoryDreamer, Queen Sunstar, Scorpii, Guardian.Ghost, and Shadowstorm92** for reviewing. These chapters are going to get darker. You have been warned…**

**

* * *

**

3. Nightmare in Miami

"Ah great," Eric remarked, his chakra appearing, twirling his right one onto his finger. "We've got company."

Dan Cooper held a gun from behind Eric and pointed it at the fox demons, which had entered the building through an unknown force in the building. Something told them it was either Stetler- or someone who wasn't Stetler and could also control demons to attack the lab at any moment. The entire building had evacuated to the ground floor, and the majority of the employees were either fighting with their fists or simply running and screaming in fear at the sign of the beasts. Given Horatio was nowhere to be found, and once again the women were nearly helpless, the two males decided to give their powers another go and fight them.

Natalia and Alexx rushed to the morgue while Ryan and Eric protected them. Ryan had put up a wind-like wall around them and was trying to keep the demons away from it by slashing away with his spears. The black smoke began to waft around, as did the smell of fire as Eric began to use his powers and started snapping at the foxes. Amazingly enough, sparks began shooting out of his hand, forming into small balls of flame that rocketed and slammed into the creatures. Ryan managed to create the air as a weapon, waving his arm back and forth rather swiftly, a whip slamming into the foxes as well.

"It appears we're getting deeper into the heart of the group," Natalia remarked, shuddering as another demon tried to attack the shield. "Demons are getting more common."

Alexx sighed and watched her two best friends fight hell's servants valiantly. "Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

_"Ah. Miss Boa Vista. Miss Woods." _

Natalia whirled around. She clasped a hand over her mouth. "My god…"

The strange navy-blue water went right through the shield and cut it in two, no protection for Alexx and Natalia evident. Out of the shadows of where they had been walking, Horatio Caine looked upon the duo with cold, unforgiving eyes. A strange fox tail was coming out of his body, as what appeared to be another one. It was small, but it was there. He smiled, lifting up his large sword. _"I see you two have been busy. Trying to reach Lord Stetler, are you?" _

Alexx shook her head. "You're not Horatio. You can't be Horatio!"

_"Famous last words,"_ the lieutenant said lazily, slashing his sword towards the two frightened women, who jumped away. Natalia looked back at where Dan was firing off shots at the demons, and then at Horatio, who very nearly hit her with his sword. She gasped at the closeness of the blade to her neck and looked into her boss's eyes. No way was it Horatio. She knew his eyes were full of light and comfort, willing to die for someone if need be. These were dead and full of hatred for the woman he saw before her. He licked his lips. _"Kiss me, Natalia."_

She backed away. "What did Stetler do with you?"

He suddenly blinked and dropped the sword, clutching his head. "No. Get out. Get out of me. I won't be used…"

Alexx walked tentatively towards Horatio. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Horatio, tell me what's wrong."

He looked up at her, frightened. "Alexx, he's taken me. Rizora and Stetler. They've taken me as their play toy. Alexx, they're going to… they're going to…"

The medical examiner reached out for him. "Come on, H. Pull yourself together. We need you. Especially Ryan."

"Why?" he muttered, looking down at his hands. They seemed to be colored with a bluish-clear liquid. "What's happening? I'm bleeding…"

Natalia tried to snap him out of his gaze. "Horatio, Ryan's been acting up. Come on. We need your help to get him back."

Horatio looked up again, the soft blue eyes gone and once again replaced with the cold dead look. Natalia blinked. His eyes went from their piercing blue color to a luscious blood red as he reached out and grabbed her neck. _"No. Horatio won't be able to help you now,"_ he hissed, throwing her to the side of the room. _"He's gone now."_

The eyes flashed blue. "Stop it. Stop it right now…"

Red._ "You said you wanted to help them, Horatio. I'm going to help them for you." _

Blue. "No. You won't help them. You'll kill them."

Red. _"I helped Calleigh Duquesne now, didn't I?"_

"Enough!"

A black void opened up to a passage of strange dark light, and a brown haired, green eyed male walked out, nine silver fox tails swishing, silver fox hairs twitching, and an angry look on his face. He glared at Horatio, a black mist beginning to swirl around him. "Rizora! What the hell are you still doing in his body?! I thought I told you out!"

Horatio glared at Rick Stetler, the wielder of darkness. _"I'm only serving in your absence, my lord." _

"Out!" Stetler roared, the black mist swirling around his hand, a long katana appearing out of nowhere. "I told you out, and what I say goes! Rizora…"

The frilled weapon appeared as well, Horatio's face in a grin. _"Demons come first, my lord. I'm going to make him become one." _

Horatio's body was suddenly sent clear through the window of the office as Alexx and Natalia screamed in horror. Eric and Ryan looked in their direction, eyes widening. The master of air sent a spear for the darkness, which completely missed. "Leave him alone, you bastard!"

Stetler's attention drifted from the water and onto the other CSI heroes. "Ah. Ryan Wolfe and Eric Delko. So nice of you to make it in this hour of despair and evil. Come to watch Horatio turn into what he wants to destroy?"

Eric's chakra barely missed Rick's neck. "What do you want with him?"

He laughed. "Nothing. Except if you focus your attention onto your boss, you'll notice another lovely tail shooting out from a wonderful place."

Indeed, Stetler was correct as Horatio convulsed on the ground, screaming as another tail began to protrude from his backside- his second tail. Ryan turned his attention towards the IAB agent. "Damn! What is wrong with you?!"

He merely grinned in response and began to back away into the darkness. Ryan growled angrily. "Not this time!" he yelled and jumped into the void before it closed.

Eric slammed his fist into the wall. Now how much more was Miami going to lose?

* * *

**I totally didn't mean to throw that in there. It sort of just… came out. Reviews are appreciated. Much love, friends. Thanks for reading. **


	4. Spasms of the Elemental Kind

**I think I'm evil. I hope I'm not evil to all of you. Except with the fact I tossed Ryan into a portal with Stetler… Many thanks to **Guardian.Ghost, Shadowstorm92, Queen Sunstar, Rebellwithoutacause, speedfanatic05, daxy, kitsune!!, dana flame princess, Le Pecore Nere, Compleatly Random Dissorder, Scifirogue Kane, and StoryDreamer **for reviewing! On a side note, "Heroes" was nominated in the CSI FanFic Awards for Best AU and Best Fantasy! That's just cool!**

**

* * *

**

4. Spasms of the Elemental Kind 

Ryan moaned, blinking his eyes and glancing around at the area he ever-so-recklessly jumped into after Stetler. He rubbed his head and slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. There was evidence of a murder a couple of weeks ago as he noticed whitish cream blood staining the carpet around him. A dim light was filling the room as book shelves lines the room from one end to the other. Demons began to formulate around him, growling and sniffing him. Ryan pulled away in disgust and summoned his spears, standing up wearily and rubbing his back. He glared at the creature, preparing to try and attack when they disappeared. Blinking, he warily began to walk about the room. "Something tells me that wasn't a good thing," he muttered.

"Good. At least you're in tune with your senses," a snide voice replied, coming out from the shadows.

Stetler appeared from behind one of the shelves, holding his sword and giving Ryan a strange gaze. "So you're the one who decided to come after me, huh? I must say, this is quite a surprise from the Ryan Wolfe I know once as a_ normal_ CSI."

The master of air clenched up, his spears teetering dangerously on the edge of lashing out. "Keep your comments to yourself, Rick. No one needs to be under your influence, much less Horatio Caine!" He waved his hand, a spear striking the male on the cheek and brought his hands towards the ground, a whip creating a gash into Stetler's arm.

The darkness merely smiled. "If only you knew."

Ryan was just about to slam him with another whiplash but stopped, confused. "What?"

"So many things you CSIs don't know about," he replied lazily, flipping his katana ever-so-casually. "Like, how Calleigh nearly died by another hand, the fact that you could bring her back to life, or Horatio's nephew, or…"

Ryan held up a hand. "Back up," he ordered, looking nearly cross-eyed. "Horatio… his nephew, Ray?!"

Stetler shrugged. "More or less." He held the sword, pointing it at Ryan, who poised for battle. "But that's not really important now, is it?"

The CSI growled softly. "You haven't."

"I have."

Ryan threw his fist for the Internal Affairs demon and connected with his nose. There was a nasty crack as Stetler's nose nearly shattered, a black sort of goo beginning to run down his face. He stepped back, stunned, and felt his face where his nose should have been. Ryan was breathing heavily and glaring at him. "You turned the kid into a demon."

Stetler coughed lightly. "More or less, in a sense. Doesn't even know right from wrong anymore." His lips morphed into a weak sort of grin. "And neither does Horatio."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Horatio grabbed the chair, his nails digging into the leather and feeling the soft cotton. "Its name is Rizora," he muttered nearly inaudibly, the second tail spewing out of his end. "He's my internal demon that wants to take over me. I think Stetler got him out, but I…" He kneeled over, throwing up. Eric winced and turned away from the sight.

Alexx frowned and pushed back some of her hair and glancing at Natalia, who was clutching her arm. "You _think,_ Horatio? There's the slim possibility that he _didn't?" _

He shook his head, gasping. "Alexx, it's complicated. He wants me to join him, but I told him I wouldn't. He's forcing me to become the very thing I am fighting to save this city from, but I can't help but wonder… is it really worth it all to go through this much pain?"

Natalia furrowed her brow. "I've heard of a lot of complicated stories, all of them involving cases of severe depression and other crap like that, but this…" She shook her head. "This is ridiculous."

Alexx glanced at Natalia's hand covering her arm. "Sweetie, you've been grabbing your arm like men grab other places. What's wrong?"

The young CSI winced. "I don't… I don't _know._ It keeps acting up, like it's trying to unleash something upon me, but I'm almost resisting it." She clenched her teeth. "It keeps stinging me."

Horatio screamed once more, the tail growing larger. Alexx bit her lip. "We better figure this out and fast."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_"Speed, are you getting a cough?" _Caroline Caine demanded, watching the deceased CSI cover his mouth once again and attempt to hide his sickness.

He shook his head, coughing and sneezing yet again. _"Look, Caroline, it's nothing. Just let me go and get some cough drops if you're that worried." _

_"Well, you can curse me into eternal damnation!" _she growled, whapping him with a dish towel. _"Get over here." _

A blonde-haired woman with the color of light laughed and shook her head, walking over to a messy brown haired male with green eyes, sitting at the table. _"Hey, John." _

John Hagen's eyes lit up. _"Miss Calleigh Duquesne." _

_"John!"_ Marisol Delko-Caine called warningly from the living room. _"Don't go hitting on her!" _

He laughed lightly and pulled in next to the angel of light. _"Remember how I said I would ell you the new element, Calleigh?" _

She nodded.

_"You have water, fire, earth, air, light and darkness. But we needed something more to complete the circle. The seventh element. _

_"The element of life." _

Her eyes widened. _"Alexx has the power over LIFE?" _

_"And death,"_ he admitted, a strange grimace working on his face. _"It's eerie. She can't take life away, but she can give it to other people." _

Calleigh blinked. _"Explain." _

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The demons began to advance with the figure in the night. It smiled and held out its hand- black mist swirled around and a large staff appeared, a strange pair of wings forming at the top. The figure pointed the weapon to the crime lab and nodded. _"Og ylkciuq,"_ it whispered, the person's hair shining in the moonlight.

It turned around, moaning. Clutching its head, it let out an ear-piercing scream of a woman and sank to the ground sobbing. "Why? Why is he doing this to me? What do I have to do to save him?!"

Another shriek escaped her lips, this time as words.

"Horatio, please! Help us! Help us all!"

* * *

**Hoo-boy. A lot of info, some action, and a lot more info. This person shrieking… -ponders- Thanks for reading, and please review! It's the magic touch of life in a writer's life! **


	5. Natalia and Earth

**Well, here's to a come back to CSI: ** **Miami****. I have a wonderful idea in mind that involves a relationship for two people, but that's not the point here. I would like to thank and heap cookies upon **speedfanatic05, sar165185, kitsune, Le Pecore Nere, Scifirogue Kane, Rebellwithoutacause, Queen Sunstar, Compleatly Random Dissorder, dana flame princess, Dana, and dreamlover13** for reviewing! You guys are the best! I mean it!** **

* * *

**

5. Natalia and Earth 

She looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks. With dark circles under her eyes, Natalia was looking worse than she had in so many weeks since the team discovered their powers. Her head was now in her hands, an immense headache over taking her. Alexx wrapped her arms around her sympathetically. Eric grabbed the chair in despair. "It doesn't make sense," he groaned, his head hanging. "H just walked out of here like he was being possessed, and there's not a thing we can do to help him!"

Alexx sighed. "Not all people can be helped, Eric. Even our best friend has problems we cannot solve… although when it involves sprouting fox tails from his backside…"

Natalia sat there, eyes closed and still clutching her head in agony. "'But the broken heart will know nae second spring again, and the world knows not how we are grieving,'" she recited softly, tears beginning to leak out of her chocolate brown eyes. "It's from a Scottish poem called Loch Lomond. No one knows what is happening except for Miami, but we still have to stop it. For the city's sake."

A weak laugh escaped Eric's lips. "You sound like a poetic reader, Natalia. We're CSIs, not writers."

She shrugged. "I guess. But still… the science isn't exactly on track with fighting demonic-like foxes with silver tails and an Internal Affairs agent with nine silver tails and fox ears. That's called supernatural, Eric."

Alexx nodded at this. "Yes, it is. And because of that crime we didn't solve…"

"It's not about the crime anymore, Alexx," Natalia finally yelled in despair, breaking down. "That's in the past! We have to save the city from this onslaught of demons. And I've got a feeling they aren't going to stop at Miami- they're going to start taking over the world! Knowing the beast inside of Stetler, there's not a chance in hell they'll stop here! We're outnumbered, fighting a battle we won't win!"

Eric stared at his former girlfriend. She had a point- knowing the nature of evil, they wouldn't stop until they made them stop. His chakram lazily hung from his finger as he began to think of any way that would change the tide of battle. Given one was dead, another one was missing, and their leader was turning into a demon, there were certainly a limited number of choices… if any at all.

A low growling was heard. Eric's senses practically screamed red alert as he motioned for the two women to stay put. The other weapon appeared as he slowly began to advance to the front of the lab, hands ready for anything. It was quiet- the entire floor had been evacuated weeks ago except for the trio living in the area. The growling became louder, more threatening. The chakram emitted flames, which licked the fire CSI's wrists. Streaks on his arm glowed brightly as he drew nearer to the sound.

The demon slunk out of the shadows, the padded feet echoing slightly through the empty lab. It seemed to nod to Eric, as if telling him it was all right for him to attack.

Hands ablaze with glory and nothing but pain and anger in his heart, Eric went forth into war.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia gripped her head even tighter, moaning beginning to erupt from within. The brown marks intensified and began to glow. "Oh, god… oh, god…"

'Oh, god' was right. From the tiles and behind the filing cabinets, demons began to come forth and advance menacingly on the two women left in the room. The CSI got up and backed into a glass wall. Alexx followed suit, noting the particular dislike for her streaks. "I think they want something."

"Yeah," Natalia agreed. "Us."

The creatures growled in response.

An idea struck the newest CSI like a bolt from the blue. She got in front of Alexx and stared at the demons on all sides. Thinking quickly, she stomped her foot as hard as she could on the ground, believing it might have some effect on the demons. Nothing. Natalia tried again, firmly believing her idea would come to light. Nothing. The silver haired creatures moved closer, baring their teeth.

Frustrated, Natalia planted her hands on the ground…

…and the roots of the greatest and oldest trees came forth, ensnaring her body, as well as the demons amongst the pile of rock and dirt. Gasping, she tried to grab something in the room, but the force of the earth pulled her under the ground. Natalia almost felt like she was being buried alive, and yet, she was breathing pure air. What was happening to her?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This is how it feels to be Natalia Boa Vista, newest CSI and former cold case lab technician, right now.

You don't remember being sucked deeper and deeper into the earth.

You don't remember coming up in a huge tree and seeing the demons scatter in fear and whimpering like a pack of puppy dogs.

You do remember seeing a familiar face you thought had been dead for a long time. A person materializes from the mist in front of you, her hair golden blonde, her eyes full of joy and memory.

Calleigh Duquesne gives you her genuine smile and nods approvingly. "Natalia Boa Vista, I knew you were going to be the queen of the earth, but I didn't know you could make these demons cower like a sad group of dogs."

Your mouth drops open, tears forming in your eyes for what seems like the billionth time that day. "Calleigh? You're alive?!"

"Not exactly," she admits, glancing outside at the skies. She's floating with the help of her angel wings, which make her look more majestic than she already is. "I'm here to tell you of your powers, Natalia. You've got the power to control earth. As in, grass, trees, dirt, flowers, and all the other fun things that no one else gets." She smiles. "I can see why, too. It's amazing what can happen when one person can get riled over such a thing as finding her friends."

You blink. "You mean… water, fire, earth, air, light and dark… six elements, seven people. And I have the one over earth?"

She smiles. "Yep. And do me a favor, Natalia… go find Horatio and convince him that Stetler's just trying to push him over."

"Push him over?"

She turns serious. "You have to, or he's going to become a demon forever."

You look shocked, scared, and angry all at once. "Stetler."

This is how it feels to be Natalia Boa Vista, newest CSI and former cold case lab technician, right now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Natalia stared at the demons and Alexx, who was attempting to futilely hit them with a chair. She glanced at the earth queen and blinked. "Decided to come back, I hope? These guys are trying to make me do an autopsy on myself!"

Natalia didn't answer. She put out her hand, a large scythe coming into existence. With a brown handle and light green blade, she brought it down on one of the demons, glancing at Alexx. "Earth," she replied, not answering her question. "I have the power over earth." The doubt in her voice seemed it portray to her friend that she was in disbelief about the entire thing. Which, in truth, she was. Having the power over one of the hardest elements to control was a bit much for her to go through. But as she sliced her way through the creatures surrounding them, she couldn't think of anything else but Calleigh's words.

_"You have to, or he's going to become a demon forever." _

Not in her lifetime, he wasn't.

She stared at what was left of the demons and followed her gaze to Alexx. "We have to find H. He's going to stay a demon forever if we don't help him."

"Uh, problem," Alexx reminded her. "I have no powers."

The earth smiled. "But you can still help us. Moral support… and we'll figure out how you can unlock your abilities. I promise."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She was on her knees in the room, tears pouring down her face. "I told them to go," she cried, throwing the staff down and glaring at the man in front of her. "Why can't I see him? Just this once?!"

"I told you, the process must be complete for you to see his face one more time," the man replied silkily, embracing one of his tails. "Or did you forget the fact that I'm holding all the pieces of the puzzle, and the Heroes will invariably lose? Rest assured your life won't end with your cooperation. I can make sure that you see his face somewhere else but here."

The woman glared at her companion. "You're a sick, twisted…"

The sword was out an instant later, his voice laced with anger. "Go and find him. _Now." _

Yelina Salas shook her head in despair at Rick Stetler. "No. I can't.

With one fell motion, she was on the ground and Rick's sword was over his shoulder. Blood began to slide down her arm. "I said _now!" _he snarled, licking his lips.

She picked up the staff and ran from the room, sobbing in despair. He smirked. All was coming together. And soon enough, Horatio would be just like him…

* * *

**Ouch. That's gotta hurt. Well, Nat's got her powers, and all isn't well with the world. Hopefully, this chapter will suffice until I get the next one written. Thanks for reading! **


	6. The Sky Is On Fire

**-laughs- And a one-shot done by an author was enough to pull me out of my slump and continue with this fic! Oh, goody for you all! **

**Thanks for those kind reviews **speedfanatic05, Ad Hominem Argument, kitty, daxy, Queen Sunstar, clairec12344, Le Pecore Nere, Rebellwithoutacause, Blackdragon189

* * *

6. The Sky Is On Fire 

"Okay, _this_ is annoying," Ryan muttered.

He rounded another corner and growled softly, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a long, soft sigh. The smoke began to clear slightly as he blew out a slow and steady stream of wind, walking forward, spears in his hands. There had to have been some way out of here to be able to warn the others of what was going on. This whole plot was so much deeper than just the typical "evil-take-over-the-world" sort of thing.

That was mainly for television shows.

The master of wind looked down an empty corridor and smiled grimly. A speck of light was near the end of the hallway. Ryan guessed it was filled with monsters, demons, and anything else he could think of. The bookshelves seemed to reach the ceiling, filled with countless volumes of legends about light, dark, water, and the other various elements in the universe. He had no plan to try and search every shelf for something about the power of water fusing with the power of darkness- he had no time for that.

Blinking something out of his eye and taking a calming breath, Ryan bolted towards the end of the bookcase.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yelina shook at the portal, brushing some of her chocolate hair out of her eyes and staring at what appeared to be the Crime Lab in near shambles. She stared at the staff in her hand and closed her eyes tightly, hoping and praying that it would reach its destination sooner than later. If Stetler was willing to hand out orders like one would party favors, then she figured she'd decline this order and go for a better opportunity.

Not like she _had_ another opportunity at this moment.

Footsteps were heard pounding in her direction, and she looked towards the source of the noise. Her breath caught in her throat, she saw Ryan barreling towards her like a kid in a toy store, his face alight with hope and happiness. Her eyes widened. "Ryan!"

"Yelina!" he suddenly burst out, stopping nearly three inches in front of her and breathing heavily. He leaned on one of his spears for support, looking as if he had nearly run a marathon. "Oh, my god. Am I glad to see you here or what!"

She looked worried. "Ryan…"

He gave her a strange look. "Listen. I found out about everything. Ray, Jr, Horatio, everything. And I even…" He pulled out a book from under his jacket. "I might have even figured out the key to maybe winning- er, _defeating_- Stetler and the demons!"

"How is a book going to help us?!" she asked despairingly. "Horatio's turning into a demon, Ray is already a demon, Calleigh's dead…"

"_Was _dead," he corrected. "I managed to take this off the shelf when I made a beeline down here." He laughed sheepishly. "More like snuck it off, but hey. I'm not complaining." Ryan's face once again turned serious as he pointed to the swirling purplish portal. It now had a picture of Eric slicing at demons and fire raging all around him. "Is this the only way to get back to Miami?"

She nodded grimly. "Yes. I was about to throw my staff into the portal when you showed up." She glanced at him and held out the silvery stick of wood with a heart-like crest on the top of it. "Do you think you could give this to Alexx when you see her?"

He didn't understand what good a staff could do, but if it was something of a weapon… Ryan shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Thank you," she replied, relief evident in her tone. "If Stetler finds me here…"

_Whoosh. _

A portal of darkness appeared behind them, and Stetler stepped out of the thorny embrace of evil, eyes piercingly gazing at the duo near the portal. His tails twitched menacingly. "Traitor!" he hissed angrily.

"You honestly believe I'd help you and your plans for world domination?" she snapped. "You're thicker than Horatio and his feelings for me! God, Rick, use those brain cells of yours!"

Ryan smirked. "And that's my cue to leave," he announced, taking the staff and jumping through the gate to Miami.

Stetler's eyes widened. "No! NO! _NO!" _

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Eric turned away from one of the creatures, screaming in pain as a claw sliced through his left arm. The chakram fell from his fingers as he bent over, knees hitting the floor. Pain surged through his body like a tidal wave overcoming Miami. He was fighting impossible odds in the lab, no one was coming to his aid… it really did seem like he was fighting for a lost cause. 'How could I have been so stupid?' he thought bitterly. 'Why am I…?'

"Heads up, Delko!"

The voice was music to his ears. Eric looked up in stunned happiness as a wind spear cut through on of the fox demons like an air blade. Ryan jumped through the purple portal in the ceiling, hurling yet another weapon at a demon about to bite Eric's leg. There was a fierce look of determination in his eyes as he landed on the floor, tossing the book onto the counter in the process. With a sweep of his hand, a loud rush of air blew through the lab, sweeping aside five demons.

Eric got up slowly, painfully clutching his arm and limping towards his weapon. "Took you long enough, Wolverine," he quipped.

"Ha hah," he replied dryly, narrowing his eyes and doing a spinning kick towards another one. "Be sarcastic later. We've got some demons to destroy. Read to kick some serious ass?"

And suddenly, it was like the harmonious dance of a ballroom couple on the floor. The fire was shot like daggers; the wind was lashed like a whip. Fluidly, the two supernatural heroes moved, taking out demon after demon and physically slicing away at evil's darkest form of life. There was no sound but the ground and pound of Eric and Ryan, supporting each other in the thickness of battle.

Suddenly, Ryan screeched out in pain. One of the demons had managed to bite his leg and tear a piece of flesh. Eric roared angrily and thrust out his chakram, hitting the fox with all his might. It disappeared in smoke, but it was replaced by five more.

"I can't do this for much longer!" the wind howled. "I'm going super elemental!"

"I didn't get that, but if it means it'll clear these guys out faster, then good!" Eric shouted back.

Ryan closed his eyes and threw his spears straight into the air. Concentrating as much as he could, he gathered air into a small ball in his hands before opening his eyes and thrusting it upwards towards the weapons. "Dragon of wind, give me your power!"

The spears formed themselves into a large, serpent like creature, roaring over the din of battle. The foxes stared at what was now a thirty-foot dragoon creature, suddenly whimpering with fear. Eric's jaw dropped, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Ryan grinned. "Now _that's_ a weapon!"

With this, he leapt up, wincing, and landed on the dragon's back, holding onto a large spike in his back. His eyes turned white as he pointed towards the creatures. "Attack!"

The serpent lashed out, a large blow hitting the creatures and scattering them in different directions. With a roar, it swooped down and slashed at them with his long claws, Ryan roaring right on top of it. The gusts of wind nearly blew Eric off his feet and forcing Ryan to grab his hand.

The fire laughed. "This is awesome!"

The dragon slashed at one more demon before disappearing in a burst of light. The spears fell towards the ground, Ryan alongside it. No more demons appeared, and Eric took this chance to rush over and help his friend. "Ryan. What happened?"

"I dunno," he groaned, getting up slightly and staring down at his wound. "Damn, that's going to take a while to heal."

"What's with the book?"

He smiled slightly. "It's our key to beating Stetler, Eric. I think I might know how to bring Calleigh back to life."

Eric's voice suddenly choked in his throat. "Back to… life…?"

* * *

**BOOM! There, I got out a nice update for you guys. Now that I past _that_ rather large hurdle, I can continue at full steam! Thanks for reading, and please review. It makes me happy and updates faster! **


	7. Break Through

Well, I haven't a updated gosh darn thing in two days. Something is wrong with me… or not. –grins wickedly- 

**Thanks for the awesome reviews **kitty, speedfanatic05, Rebellwithoutacause, Shadowstorm92, daxy, Le Pecore Nere, Neko, Blackdragon189, dana flame princess, Queen Sunstar

* * *

7. Break Through 

Natalia couldn't help but let her jaw drop after hearing the revelation from Ryan that they could bring Calleigh back to life. She scratched her head and crossed her arms, giving the book her held a suspicious stare down. "And you're saying you got this from Stetler's place? Ryan, we didn't have a clue with that book could actually contain! You're willing to put all your eggs in that single basket and open it to find out which spell will bring her back?"

Eric tilted his head and looked at the cover of the book. "'_One Thousand Ways to Kill or Resurrect Your Enemies and Allies_,'" he read. "Natalia, I'm pretty sure there's bound to be something in there to bring her back to life."

"The point is, we can bring Calleigh back to life now," Ryan interrupted, breaking their small argument. "And it might take a little effort to figure out some sort of resurrection spell, but I can bet my pay raise on this fact that we can do it."

Alexx had been quiet this entire time, and Natalia recognized that she was not feeling so wonderful at all of this talk. She gave the medical examiner a worried look. "Alexx, are you okay?"

The woman stood up, her hands covering her purple streaks running down her arms. She took a look outside. Despite the fact that it was around one in the afternoon, the dark clouds that seemed to swirl around the deserted city proved that it could have been somewhere around eight o'clock at night. It was almost how she felt right now- the darkness swirling the land was enough to make the usually-optimistic Alexx Woods seem a little upset. She turned to Natalia and shook her head. "I'm not okay," she admitted. "I don't know what to start thinking right now."

Natalia blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Natalia, sweetheart, take a look around you. Two feuding men, another turning into a demon, and another team member dead. I believe we can take down Stetler, but I… I just don't know if we're going about it the right way."

She got the underlying meaning in an instant. "Oh. You're still upset about your powers."

Alexx gave her a resigned nod. "Yes. Yes I am."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Things were definitely not looking up for Stetler.

The tails swished back and forth furiously, showing the raw emotion behind his mask of blank staring. Sure, on the outside, it seemed as if everything was going according to plan. Nothing was wrong; his plans were running smoothly.

Anyone that really knew the demon of darkness realized that right now would be an _excellent_ time to stay away from him. For deep inside, he was raging, ranting, screaming at Rizora, who had just come back with a status report.

He whirled around and stared at the blue tailed creature, who merely winced at the cold and harsh stare. "You're telling me that he's arguing with you?! Rizora, what the hell did I tell you about having a conversation with Horatio? You're going to get him suspicious about turning into a demon! As if he's not already suspicious enough!"

"Look, Lord Stetler," he reasoned, gesturing with his paw. "I only decided to get out of him when I thought it was time. The transformation _is_ still going on. However, it's now on its own free will. Horatio cannot control the fact that he a set of tail sprouting out his rear end. Approximately a few days time, he'll go down as the first water-darkness hybrid known in the world."

It seemed to calm him down, but he couldn't help but whip his tails at Rizora. The fox demon cowered in fear as he pulled out his sword. "Get out of my sight," he whispered, pointing it at the creature. "I don't want to see you until his transformation is complete."

Rizora disappeared into the navy blue darkness, and Stetler turned to Yelina, who stood there with an angry expression on her face. He smiled. "What's wrong, beloved? Scared for your hero to come and rescue you?"

"I want to see Ray," she told him quietly. "Please."

He barked with laughter. "Oh, the wittle mommy wants to see her wittle son! How about _not?_" In three strides, he was in her face. "Yelina, I told you that you could see Ray after Horatio was turned into a demon. He's nowhere completing that process."

"You're such a pain in the ass!" she snarled, backing away slightly. "Why can't I even see my own son?!"

The demonic figure shrugged. "Let's see. I'm trying to take over the world, you practically _gave_ Alexx Woods her weapon of choice, and you expect me to do as _you _wish." His hand curled into a fist. "Yelina, I can do whatever the _hell_ I want to. And that includes not allowing you to see your son. In fact…" He brought his fist into her left eyes. She screamed, flying across the room. "…you may as well begin praying to someone. You'll never leave my sight again."

A sensation of déjà vu overcame Yelina as she picked herself up off the ground slowly. She didn't say anything for many moments until Stetler gave her a cool glare. Finally, she spat out, "You're not the boss of me!" And with that, she grabbed a large claymore from the side and jumped into the portal that showed a way to Miami.

Stetler barely missed her dress. He stood there, seething and threw his sword at the wall, where it connected with a loud _twang!_ His eyes flashed. "Betrayal was never an option, Yelina. I'll make sure you remember that…"

His attention turned to Horatio, who stood on the beach, clutching his head and screaming. A small smile began to play on his lips. "That's it, Horatio. Keep morphing…"

* * *

**God, I'm so mean to him. Sorry for the short chappie- kinda filler, huh? D: Anyways, next chapter will be plenty longer. Reviews are enjoyed. Thanks for reading! **


	8. I Will Fear No Evil

**Hey, I'm sorry about the serious lack of updates on this story. It really just ran away from me.**

**Thanks for reviewing** dana flame princess, Jag Lady, Rebellwithoutacause, speedfanatic05, Shadowstorm92 (x2), Queen Sunstar, Le Pecore Nere, CSI Junkie, chigirig, Wizard-in-Disguise, Guardian.Ghost

* * *

8. I Will Fear No Evil

It was so painful. He didn't know how much longer this was going to last for, but he knew that if this kept up for any longer, he would become the first hybrid demon known to all humans alike. The tails came out slowly- _three_ of them at the same time, all seemingly wishing to cause Horatio as much pain as possible. Waves crashed onto the shoreline, showing all the hate that was practically coursing through his body at the moment. Never in Horatio's life had he been in so much pain, so much turmoil, so much anger... he was lost, trying to blindly find his way in the darkness that began to consume him. His sword lay in his hand, poised to strike at anyone that tried to...

...attack him.

The demons arose from the sands once again, and Horatio growled angrily, picking up his weapon and holding it in a defense position, trying so hard to ignore the pain shooting up out his rear. The creatures howled in anger and leapt for the lieutenant, who kept his sword up and clenched his teeth. He leapt up right as the fox demons tried to bite at him, thrusting his hand out over the ocean and allowing a rather large wave of water overcome the creatures. He landed on the top of the wave, watching the demons leap for him and swung his sword in a wide arc. The weapon cut some of the demons in two; they disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. His eyes narrowed, and he jumped down, still holding the weapon in a defensive position.

The tails suddenly shot out, all three of them, and Horatio released a pent-up screech, sticking his weapon in the ground. The demons growled and advanced on him. The five silver tails swayed gently. There was a whispering noise in the back of his head, getting louder and louder. The redhead began panting heavily. This was becoming too much... the fighting, the tails, the death...

_Let go..._

The lieutenant growled angrily. 'Don't listen to the voice,' he thought.

_Let go of everything..._

'Don't listen, Horatio!'

_It will make everything easier..._

God, he really wishes that voice would go away now. It was overpowering every fiber in his body, and he absolutely hated it. He didn't want to listen to this voice, this... thing that would make him into something he absolutely hated. As the demons closed in on him, Horatio hated to admit it, but he had to use his growing powers in both water and darkness to overcome these adversaries.

Before he had even realized what was happening, his five demon tails lashed out and smacked the beasts behind him aside. Wisps of smoke now took their place yet again. Horatio gasped and stared down at his hands. He looked out over the ocean and grabbed his sword, pulling it up from the ground and remembering an old saying: _"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."_

These demons were considered evil right now.

Except when Horatio said these words, they came out a bit differently. _"I lliw raef on live,"_ he spoke fiercely, holding his sword up in defense again.

He would take down these demons, no matter what the cost may have been.

* * *

Yelina took a deep breath and looked around the city. It seemed nearly completely deserted from when she last saw it a couple of weeks ago. Sighing and picking up her weapon, she headed to the crime lab and thought about nearly everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

She had been kidnapped in her own home without even putting up a fight. After watching her own son put up a battle against demons, she was horrified to see Stetler walk in on the little family and strike him down with the hilt of his blade. The man had threatened her with but a simple sentence those three weeks ago: _"If you resist, Yelina- you're going to be worse than him."_ And she merely gave him a glare and shook her head, allowing Stetler to take her without any resistance.

Days passed slowly, and Yelina heard nothing about Ray Jr. When she finally went and asked Stetler about what had happened to her child, he gave an evil grin and gestured to the fox coming out of the shadows. The silver fox's head hung in defeat, his voice making a low, faint whine. The private investigator had nearly fainted out of pure shock- this creature that was standing in front of her... was Ray Jr. Stetler looked gleeful at her face and explained to her that if she defiled him in any way, Ray was going to die, or she was going to become just like her son. Either way, things looked very grim for a time.

So she played along with the man's scheme. She did almost everything- spoke to demons, looked up information, the works. But she didn't do it for Stetler's personal gain. No, now she was a walking encyclopedia, a way for the CSIs to possibly win this battle against evil... well, almost. She hadn't read the book Wolfe had taken off the shelf, but she nearly knew every single other piece of information that was required to win the war on darkness. As she wandered the streets of Miami, her mind became overflowing with the amount of damage in the streets.

Bodies lined the sidewalks, death smelling like old blood. She nearly gagged at the sight and prayed that some people might have made it out alive. The crime lab came into view, and Yelina looked at the building, suddenly screaming when she saw a demon go flying out the window. Her weapon was still in her hand as she entered the building warily. A lot of damage had been done to the downstairs lobby area. Tables were overturned, chairs had been thrown, the front desk had nearly been slashed to bits... and glass lay both inside and outside the building.

She covered her mouth in stunned realization. "This place is a war zone," she muttered, walking to the elevator and stairs. "It's so much worse here than Stetler personified it to be."

Yelina looked at both means of getting to the next floor and heaved another sigh. Looked as if it was time to take the stairs. No matter- she needed more exercise anyways. And with her claymore, she was more than likely going to reach the top later than she planned. But it didn't matter. The elevators were probably not working anyways.

* * *

Ryan looked up from the book and set it on the table, his eyes practically about to fall out of their sockets. "This is beyond crazy," he told the team flatly, jabbing a finger into the page. "I don't think I have ever seen anything more insane than this lone page right here."

Natalia looked at the page and shrugged. "Well, you know, all we gotta do is find a person who can control the power of life. And I think..." Her brow furrowed. "Let's see here- water, fire, light, earth, air, darkness. Well, there _could_ be the power over life. I mean... think about it. Life and death are both elements, right?"

Alexx folded her arms. "They could be considered elements, Natalia. However, it's not really a confirmed sort of thing yet."

"Who cares if it's confirmed? We've got to figure out what your element is and fast. Or we have to figure out when you're going to get it," the other female argued, looking down at her arms and watching the streaks move up her arms. "Any ideas? Visions? Fun stuff like that?"

Both men looked completely confused. Eric cleared his throat. "Um, girls? Can we have an explanation here?"

Natalia sighed and gestured to Alexx. "We have speculations to think that Alexx might actually have the power over life. She might be the only way to get Calleigh back to life. And if that's the case and we have to go..."

Ryan picked the book up and read the passage aloud. _"'In order for the light to be restored and the world to be saved from eternal darkness and hate, the giver of life and the master of air must go out of the country in which the light was slain. It doesn't matter where, but it must be far away- a place where the darkness will not know where you are. The fire and earth must flee as well, to create a diversion for evil to watch.'"_

Eric blinked. "So, me and 'Talia have to go somewhere random, and you and the wielder of life have to go somewhere with Calleigh's body. Great- sounds easy enough." He frowned after this. "But what about Horatio? It didn't say anything about the water."

The master of air winced. "You're not going to like this part." He flipped to the next page, swallowed and read aloud, _"'And all the while, the water must overcome his darkest fear and face what he hates most- evil itself. In its raw, true form... alone.'_ Okay, does anyone else in here think that this excerpt sucks besides me? Or is wondering why in the world the water has to face darkness and not the light?"

Alexx shrugged. "Maybe because the light is dead right now?"

"Or because something very horrid happened to them."

The group turned around and gasped with surprise and delight. Yelina stood in the doorway to the conference room, clutching the claymore for support and giving the group a weary smile. "Maybe I can help with anything you guys need."

Natalia smiled. "PI Salas. It's nice to see you again."

"It's not nice to see the city in this shape, though," she replied, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. "I can't believe this is all Stetler's doing. I'm not sure how long it will be until the master of darkness himself finds me here, but I will be of as much help as I possibly can. Does anyone have a question they'd like to start off with?"

Everyone's hand was in the air immediately.

* * *

**LONG chappie. To make up for the lost time and the crappy chapter last time, I have given you the best thing I could after three months of no update. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	9. Author's Finale

"Hey… has anybody seen Shiny and her brain of plot bunnies?"

Eric looked up from the book on the table and blinked at Ryan's blunt question. He rubbed his head, shaking it and sighing. "Sorry- no one has. If you've managed to track it down and everything, I'd love to know where she is too."

Alexx examined her staff and smiled like her motherly self at the two worried men. "I suspect she is busy at work on some of her old fan fictions she needs to complete. You know, those things don't write themselves. She's got to finish a couple and everything. And with this thing being on the backburner and such-" Here, she sighed. "-you know full and well her style has changed."

"And with good reason," Natalia added. "She thinks this plot is bad anyways." She shook her hair out of her face and leaned back against the counter. "Last I heard, she was busy talking to herself on walks about a brand new plot that had to deal with villains, love, peril, and the supernatural all over again. Except she wants to fit it into the modern seasons now." Natalia chuckled. "She's an EDeN friendship fan now too. Does that depress me? Not exactly."

Ryan growled. "The fandom today _changed._ Dramatically."

The medical examiner sighed. "Agreed, Ryan. People are leaving, things are becoming more and more about…"

"No."

Everyone's head turned to the direction of the door, staring at a wounded Horatio. He clutched his sword and grunted, holding himself up and clutching a bleeding stab wound in his arm. Alexx stood up, but he shook his head slowly. "It's not about me. It's about this story." He took a deep breath. "She's dropping it."

You could have heard a pin drop. All eyes were trained on the wounded wielder of water with stunned gazes. He stared back them unevenly, his eyes flashing back and forth between red and blue.

Eric burst out finally, "What about Calleigh?! And Stetler?! And that big epic trilogy?!"

"Scrapped," another voice begrudgingly spoke from behind Horatio. "A new start will mean everything to this whole series."

Ryan moaned. "This sucks. _This sucks!"_

Horatio painfully nodded. "I understand, Mister Wolfe. However, as time moves on, so do the writing styles of a young woman. She's been through quite a bit and understands finally how she needs to write. It might take a little time and energy, but she's going to try and put something out there that the entire Miami fandom enjoys."

Stetler stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and holding his own weapon. "So wait- does this mean… I'm not evil?"

"I suspect she'll make you a prick still," Natalia quipped.

The defender of darkness shot her a nasty look.

Silence for several moments. No one could think of what to say.

"Hey. Why the long faces?"

People blinked. Heads turned again. And one word came from Natalia. "Why?"

Shining- or more aptly called Ana- sighed and held up a pen and paper. "Because it sucks, it needs revamping, and I'm VERY unhappy with the plot right now. I need to do a lot of tweaking and too much changing for this thing to be good. And besides- I don't have the BALLS to do this anymore. I'm sick of it. It's not how my writing is! I don't write this way anymore!"

This rant from an eighteen year old caught everyone by surprise. Even Horatio tilted his head in surprise. "Do you have a new idea?"

"A bit of one," she replied quietly. "I need to do a lot of planning and digging and everything. But I want to keep an undertone. I know what happens- you guys won't." Ana dipped her head. "I'm really sorry, guys. I just can't do this anymore. And it's hanging over my head like a haunted spirit waiting to be put to rest."

Eric narrowed his eyes. "Oh, and speaking of spirits- what about Calleigh?"

Ana sighed. "I-I… I don't want to say now. You would find out in the new fic. I promise."

"Swear it?"

"Eric, cut me some slack!" she howled. "I'm giving it all I can and a little more!"

Horatio growled softly. "Let's leave her be. She's got a lot to do. And this fic… it's finished."

Ana nodded. "I'm sorry."

Alexx chuckled. "It's okay, hun. Really. I think…"

Ryan smiled a little. "Hey- you'll be fine. Sure, your followers won't be really… enthralled, but when you come back with a blazing new tale, I'm sure they'll be excited!"

Ana dipped her head. She hoped it was the case. And if not… she'd lose a lot of followers.

* * *

**It's all true, guys. Every word. This fic is being DROPPED.**

**BUT. I'm going to try and come back with a new fic. I promise. Everything will be covered. I SWEAR ON MY LIFE.**

**Until the new _Heroes_ tale... adieu.  
**


End file.
